Stray handed me the fat, spotted puppy, and he got the brown one. We lugged them down to where my playhouse was set up under the candy counter. Shoogie followed us, but she didn't want to play with the puppies or the paper dolls. She just sat down on the floor and leaned her head against her knees. "Hello! Hello? Who's this on the line? Pa, is that you? This is Jodie. I'm trying to get Nannie. She's not back yet? Pa, I wish you'd step down to the road real quick and try to flag down the doctor and Wiley! Tell them to come back! Tell them Ned's here! Yes, sir, they'll know what you're talking about. I'll explain it to you tonight!" Papa slammed up the phone and rushed back over to Ned and Black Idd. "Ned, me and Doctor Elton think you'd better leave! Get clean away from Drake Eye Springs, quick as you can! Go hide out somewhere, Ned!" "Mister Jodie, you wants me to hide on 'count of that squirrel?" "The squirrel? Ned, did you stuff that squirrel in Mister Ward's coat pocket?" "Yes, suh. I puts him there so's hit'd 'pear like Mister Ward was just a-huntin'." "Did you kill him?" "Well, yes, suh, and no, suh! I shoots the fox squirrel, but I ain't for sho' that hit was me what kill Mister Ward." "What do you mean, you 'ain't for sure'?" "See, Mister Jodie, hit was like this: Sunday, just awhile 'fore sundown, me and Little Stray was walkin' 'cross the cornfield, lookin' for rabbits. Sylvie, she was with us. You knows Sylvie, Mister Jodie. She was sniffin'—" "Yeah, I know all about the dog. But what about Ward?" "He come 'long with his shotgun and starts shootin' at me!" "What'd you do?" "I runs, Mister Jodie! Fast! But I falls down—hangs my feets under a corn stalk —and I draps my shotgun. I hears three, four shots! But I ain't hit. Sylvie, she's down lickin' my face. Quick, I gets up and looks back sideways to see how close Mister Ward's a-gettin'. No Mister Ward! I looks again, and there he is layin' down on the ground, the gun in his hand, and hit still smokin'. "And there stands Little Stray, holdin' my gun in his hand, and hit still smokin'! I say, 'O Lawd!' I gets up. Then I tries to 'cide what to do. The blood, it's a-gushin' outta Mister Ward's neck like a stuck hog! "I grabs the chile and shakes him. I say 'Little Stray Boy, what make you shoot Mister Ward!'"